Port Louis Central Telegraph Office

Situated at the General Post Office, opened in April 1877 and closed 1952 according to Ibbotson.

The Central Telegraph Office c.d.s., used at Port Louis, has nothing to do with the despatch of telegrams. It relates to Express Delivery letters. For many years the inland letter rate was 5 cents. The additional Express delivery charges were:

i) for any address within the limits of the towns of Port Louis, Beau Bassin, Curepipe, Curepipe Road, Quatre Bornes and Rose Hill: 25c;

ii) beyond the limits of the towns, 25c per mile or fraction of a mile from their post offices.

The towns other than Port Louis used their normal c.d.s. on Express items. In Port Louis, though, all Express items had to be handed in at the Central Telegraph Office where the special c.d.s. was used. The postage was affixed to the envelope, but the express fee was affixed to the appropriate post office form requesting express delivery. Only this form, it appears, was c.d.s. Central Telegraph Office.

However, for a time between the years 1932 and 1951, the adhesives aggregating 30c were all affixed to the envelope and cancelled Central Telegraph Office, this c.d.s. was applied also to the unstamped post office form. These forms, like their stamped counterparts, were filed at the GPO for two years before being destroyed.